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Suggestions needed: Racquet for recreational beginner ...

1. How often do you play, how serious are you?
-> 2-3hrs/week (weekends), not serious, recreational.

2. What style of player are you? (Aggressive smasher, net player ...)
-> beginner style =)

3. Do you care much about durability or is it all about performance?
-> definitely durability.

4. How much money do you want to spend?
-> $30/racquet.

I'm a fairly good tennis player myself, but trying badminton now since my parents loved it last weekend when we tried it out. I just want something durable and good overall racquet for beginners. Perferrably, something that comes with a cover.

1. How often do you play, how serious are you?
-> 2-3hrs/week (weekends), not serious, recreational.

2. What style of player are you? (Aggressive smasher, net player ...)
-> beginner style =)

3. Do you care much about durability or is it all about performance?
-> definitely durability.

4. How much money do you want to spend?
-> $30/racquet.

I'm a fairly good tennis player myself, but trying badminton now since my parents loved it last weekend when we tried it out. I just want something durable and good overall racquet for beginners. Perferrably, something that comes with a cover.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

$30 would be a little bit low if u are considering yonex rackets.
Maybe u would like to try other brands.

Hmm I don't think you can get by with $30 USD for a Yonex racket in the US. Maybe you should visit Badminton Warehouse or Badminton Alley online and check out what kind of rackets they offer for your skill level. That will at least help reduce the amount you need to search through.

Genji brand recommendation.

Hey there...here's just some suggestions.
Any non steel/aluminum racquet will do.
Last year I've purchased a Wilson for the price and i'll be getting a Genji package for the price/peformance from my buddies next week or two when I visit Cali.

I just noticed you're in Cali, if that is the case I would suggest to save on shipping if you buy locally. Most likely you're going to be getting a package, ie: 3-4 racquets, overgrips, shuttlecocks so it'll be cheaper. If so, pm me, my buddies know the guys from bestbuyplaza (Genji Brand) and can work something out.

If you want more info on the Genji brand, there's a link above the forum messages, it's an ads by google link that says "badminton webstore", they're in Milpitas CA, so you can drive there and pickup instead of paying for shipping.

Cysports carries CY racquets, but also have Futabaya and Genji brands too, they're located in Seattle WA.
Badminton Alley in Sunnyvale CA and San Diego Badminton Supply both carry the cheapest Wilson Brand racquets, they're great brand of tennis racquets, but for badminton, they're on the other end of the spectrum.

I myself started playing tennis and table tennis before I started playing badminton. I've had several racquets, and if you've searched for Genji, you would see posting from me looking for cheap alternative racquets also. For price & performance & a full cover, I'd go for the Genji brand or if you're just looking for price, I'd say the Wilson brand, their Pro Staff/Hyper Hammer/Ti power are exactly $30bux.

In my opinion, the Wilson Brand is geared for beginners.
And there's not any other brands in the US that's cheaper.
But if you purchase a racquet such as Genji, that's geared towards intermediate players, by the time you improve, you won't need to purchase another racquet; moreover, it should be easier to play with an intermedate level racquet.

As again, the BF members are very helpful, and if you're interested in Genji or what not, please PM me or reply to this thread and i'll see what my friends can do for you.

The other day I saw Carbonex 6900 for $69 Cdn. That is a decent racket..although I don't know if you can find it locally. Also another good racket would be a Black Knight Carbo-Knight..costs $65 Cdn but they had it on sale after KTR tourney for $45. These two rackets are reasonable light and should still suit you as you improve; as to whether they are durable, I'm not too sure, but they're relatively cheap.

If you want a very solid racket, I suggest to get Aluminum/Steel rackets; those aren't too heavy for me, but they might warp out of shape, but they should survive clashes. They're also good for training proper technique, but they'll slow you down if you play better players.

Thanks for all the replies guys -
I agree it doesn't have to be Yonex but you know with parents they like to have name brands ... for instance Sony is always defaulted as the "best" electronic equipment. =)

From the suggestions on the thread, it looks like I should check out the Cab8's and Cabs8500, Genji brand, and Wilsons.

What are some pros and cons for each of those 3 categories ... right now my main concern is price and durability and that it comes with a cover =).

to be honest and frank. if you are a beginner, it doesn't matter. the key is to not worry about the racket too much. any decent brand racket will very much suffice. most rackets are very similar and there can only be very minute difference especially at the beginner level.

if your parents think Yonex is good, then i say get a Yonex. it is more important to spend more time in the court and have fun!

kwun: totally agreed, I'm not trying to find the racquet the gives me the best performance or makes me play better, just a racquet that will last awhile ... basically your "best bang for the buck" racquet in terms of durability not performance.

kwun: totally agreed, I'm not trying to find the racquet the gives me the best performance or makes me play better, just a racquet that will last awhile ... basically your "best bang for the buck" racquet in terms of durability not performance.

and of course with a cover

Frankly I don't think it is that easy to find a racquet that has the "best bang for the buck" in durability. Also it doesn't make badminton sense. My personal opinion is that you should buy the best badminton racquet that you can afford. I just don't believe in the "best bang for the buck". To me there is nothing better than to buy the best you can afford.
My friend bought a fake MP88 for his 15 year old son for about HK$400, and both father and son thought it was the "best bang for the buck". I then persuaded the father to buy his son a better racquet and to enrol him in a proper training program if wants his son to improve. The old man obliged and did both. Now the son is very pleased with his Yonex AT700 4U and hates his fake MP88 so much that he has given it away to his cousin. The son is now into the 4th round of a local under 16 boys singles tournament, which ends today. If a 15 year old kid can discern the winning or losing difference between racquets, so can we.

I have to agree with kwun that the racket does not matter for a beginner. In fact...it is ridiculous for beginners to get high end rackets. I've used a my old heavy Carbonex 7000 to beat a beginner using MP100.

What counts for beginners is developing proper techniques. A more robust racket makes more sense because more than likely, clashes will happen. Where a high end racket will be beneficial is when technique is mastered; then the advantage of a particular racket will be noticeable. Technique development comes from many games possibly involving clashes. As such, it is wise to save money until you are ready to handle your racket well.

Think of when you first start driving. I don't think it would be wise for someone to start with a Mercedez Benz S500 instead of something more economical, maybe a Honda Civic?

Originally Posted by taneepak

Frankly I don't think it is that easy to find a racquet that has the "best bang for the buck" in durability. Also it doesn't make badminton sense. My personal opinion is that you should buy the best badminton racquet that you can afford. I just don't believe in the "best bang for the buck". To me there is nothing better than to buy the best you can afford.
My friend bought a fake MP88 for his 15 year old son for about HK$400, and both father and son thought it was the "best bang for the buck". I then persuaded the father to buy his son a better racquet and to enrol him in a proper training program if wants his son to improve. The old man obliged and did both. Now the son is very pleased with his Yonex AT700 4U and hates his fake MP88 so much that he has given it away to his cousin. The son is now into the 4th round of a local under 16 boys singles tournament, which ends today. If a 15 year old kid can discern the winning or losing difference between racquets, so can we.

I second the idea to get genji rackets. They have some rackets on sale now. One package contains two rackets and has the price tag of $64. That should be a good option. If you just want to get one rackets, there are some $30-40ish rackets and I also regard them as good options.
I know the owner of bestbuyplaza.com, Jeff, since I got some accessories like overgrips etc from him. He is a nice guy. I would strongly recommend you to d go to the store to check out those rackets to see which one fits you better.

Cheers,
-Sean

Originally Posted by pastrami

Thinking of picking up a racquet for my parents and myself --

1. How often do you play, how serious are you?
-> 2-3hrs/week (weekends), not serious, recreational.

2. What style of player are you? (Aggressive smasher, net player ...)
-> beginner style =)

3. Do you care much about durability or is it all about performance?
-> definitely durability.

4. How much money do you want to spend?
-> $30/racquet.

I'm a fairly good tennis player myself, but trying badminton now since my parents loved it last weekend when we tried it out. I just want something durable and good overall racquet for beginners. Perferrably, something that comes with a cover.

Overgrips are probably more important than the actual racket. I remember when I used to do without them..way back when I started. My hand sweated a lot and every 5 seconds I'm wiping my hand on my shirt. So if you put on overgrips, they absorb the sweat, and give a nice tacky feel that lets you relax while holding the racket. The tacky feel make it seem that you don't have to grab on the racket tightly, which is good because you can only generate good power if you relax your grip.

Yonex A440 is about $7 Cdn for 3 pieces. They fit all badminton rackets btw.

Personally.my sister and I like Pointfore overgrips(I won a pack at a Pointfore tourney) more because they last longer as well as provide better cushioning, but I haven't tried other kinds like Black Knight and what not.

Seems they have some rackets on "close out" sales. Seems BlackKnight 725 for $29 should be a good deal.

hehe, thanks! just adding more to the confusion ... I think I'm going to go with the genji since it doesn't seem likely that I can get some yonex racquets for my price range. And from what some people have said, the genji seems to be better than the wilsons. So I'm going to check out the genjis tomorrow ... most likely this -- http://shop.store.yahoo.com/ebadminton/spe.html